TBU: Des
The Bill Uncovered- Des & Reg was the first of four The Bill Uncovered documentaries broadcast in 2004 and 2005. The first showcased the unusual relationship between Des Taviner and Reg Hollis. Reg returns home to find a video and bottle of whiskey in his mail. On the tape is Des, talking to camera, some point prior to his arrest. He starts by saying how much of a friend Reg was to him, then goes on to reminisce. The story starts with the events of A Week of Nights, Part One, when Reg and Des were first paired in the Area Car. The two talk about Reg's relationship with businesswoman Helen, who he meets at a bus stop. They continue the story up to Not To Praise Him, when Reg proposed to Helen, who subsequently dumped him. Their story also goes on to talk about Craig Gilmore, who Des hated with a passion. Gilmore had no respect for the maverick Des and his bullying attitude, first demonstrated when he demanded that Di Worrell was not paired with him in the Area Car. Events came to a head when new Special Constable Terry Knowles arrives to work at Sun Hill. Des takes the rookie under his wing, which Gilmore resents him for. While Des and Reg go to Southend so Reg can see Helen, Terry is stabbed and killed whilst on patrol with Nick, trying to pull off Des' get a date instead of a parking ticket with the female driver. The relationship between Des and Gilmore reaches a mutual agreement when they end up in a fist fight at Terry's funeral, something the relief needed to pick up their morale. The story continues with how Des started the fire at Sun Hill, and the aftermath over six months. Race riots were happening in Sun Hill and Chief Inspector Derek Conway was murdered by a petrol bomber. As Inspector Andrew Monroe started a collection for Conway, Des felt shunned when his rival, Superintendent Tom Chandler put £50 forward, and when he came across a drug dealer, he 'confiscated' the youth's money and put it forward, but the money was fake. When a riot kicked off outside the station he threw a petrol bomb into Monroe's office causing a catastrophic explosion, killing Monroe, DCs Paul Riley & Kate Spears and PCs Ben Hayward, Di Worrell and Sam Harker, who witnessed Des starting it. Des tells Reg about Des' nerves about Sam telling MIT and CID about Des' involvement, before Sam's untimely death. The story then goes on to Des and Danny Glaze's frame up of local racist Jeff Simpson. Reg goes onto his abduction before the trial, and then it progresses to Des attempting suicide. Des continues about how he found a reason to live again, Sergeant Sheelagh Murphy. He goes on about how she made life easier and he forgot about the fire, until ex-DI Sally Johnson started investigating in her role as Simpson's private investigator. Des talks about Sheelagh having Des' baby, and when he had to tell her about starting it. The story goes on to when Des made his escape plan, by driving the Area Car into a fuel warehouse causing an explosion that nearly killed Reg. The story concludes when they talk about the cot death of Sheelagh's baby Niamh, Des abducting PC Cameron Tait, who was babysitting the night Niamh died. Reg concludes by saying after Cameron was abducted that Des had to pay for his actions. Their story concludes when Reg talks about arresting Des, but that he had no idea that Des would be dead a few hours later. The video concludes with Des saying only one thing was important about the last three years, his friendship with Reg. Reg ends the episode by saying Wherever you are, Des, I hope you're happy.